Buster Keaton Overdose Needed

February 6, 2022 2:59 PM

I adore Keaton, and you probably do too. Since most of his films are available on various free streaming platforms, am I crazy to try to acquire well-restored versions on DVD or BluRay?

The first question would be if the quality of the prints on the restored DVD/BR sets are worth the price to your average Keaton-phile.

And the second question would be which set? AMZN sells a DVD set "The Art of Buster Keaton" (Kino Lorber) for $159, and a BluRay set "The Ultimate Buster Keaton Collection" (also Kino Lorber) for a whopping $450. Or maybe just acquire them a la carte? And I'm sure these sets can be had for less on other outlets like Ebay.

There are also restorations from Cohen, Criterion, and others. So much Buster!

I'm in the U.S., if it matters.

posted by schrodycat to Media & Arts (5 answers total)

I can't speak to the quality of those sets, but I can say: streaming is not a reliable long-term means of getting access to these films. At any given moment there are a startling number of classics not available for streaming anywhere. If you love a movie and want to make sure you can watch it for years, buy it on some form of physical media.
posted by praemunire at 5:11 PM on February 6, 2022

Netflix's DVD-by-mail service (which totally still exists, at least for now) has a large handful of Buster Keaton DVDs available; it might be worth the $20 or whatever it is to see if the quality of what they have available is something you'd be satisfied with (without/prior to shelling out $450).

Also, your local library might have physical media you could check out, and "check out" for quality.

Also also, your local library might have access to Hoopla/Kanopy/etc; there are lot of those kind of streaming services without needing to subscribe; just depends on your local library's setup.

Hopefully a real busterphile can address the question of the collections. I haven't seen either of those, and don't have one I can recommend :/
posted by adekllny at 5:38 PM on February 6, 2022

I have the Kino-Lorber set of Keaton shorts on Blu-ray, and it's wonderful. They look remarkable. The quality of the restorations is, to me, absolutely worth the price. That set is modestly priced compared to trying for the complete Keaton, admittedly.
posted by Flexagon at 5:39 PM on February 6, 2022

The National Film Board of Canada sells DVD copies of its three Buster Keaton films.
posted by mandolin conspiracy at 5:44 PM on February 6, 2022

adekllny's advice is good. Additionally --depending on the TV/display you're using and your personal preferences-- the image quality difference between DVD and Blu-ray for a 90-year-old film may not matter much to you.

Having said that, there are vanishingly few examples I can think of where a Blu-ray release wasn't a big improvement in the viewing experience compared to DVD. I've seen several of the Kino Blu-rays of Keaton's films and I think they did a great job. Note: they're not restorations. Scratches and other flaws are still visible in some places, but Kino's hands-off approach was justified by the high quality of the source material.

For examples of Kino's Blu-ray of The General compared to several previous DVD releases, check out the screen grabs here (starting about ¼ of the way down the page).
posted by theory at 6:04 PM on February 6, 2022